“For God so loved the world that he gave…”
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, aka Rembrandt (1606-1669) was a Dutch Golden Age Painter. He has been described as “one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art.” His output is significant: three hundred paintings, three hundred etchings, and two thousand drawings. (see Wikipedia’s entry for more) Rembrandt was especially fond of painting portraits and was an innovator who left the world many interesting self-portraits.
Rembrandt’s painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son (pictured above), was painted within the last few years of his life. It depicts the return of the prodigal son to his father who receives him with joy while others, including the elder brother, look on from the shadows. (see Luke 15) About the painting, the art historian, Kenneth Clark noted that it was “a picture which those who have seen the original in St. Petersburg may be forgiven for claiming as the greatest picture ever painted.” (For further reading see Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son, which is a book length meditation on the painting.)
For all his ability to paint portraits and to capture the personalities of those who sat for them, the return of the prodigal features a repentant young man whose face is rather indistinct. The father’s visage is much more visible. The father’s face clearly communicates comfort, acceptance, joy, and restoration. His open hands, note that clenched fists are not present, are on the prodigal’s back to draw him into the father’s embrace. For me, the indistinctness of the prodigal’s face communicates the “whoever believes in him” of John 3:16. We close with these questions, which we have adapted from the painting: have you returned to the Father by believing in the Son? Have you known the Father’s embrace which has been extended over you due to the sacrifice of the Son? If you could paint yourself into Rembrandt’s work, would you be the prodigal or the elder brother? Have a blessed week and we will see most of you this Sunday.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
